Having music in the kitchen is no new topic, I personally can’t cook without signing my heart out, it helps distract me from the fact that I’m doing it all wrong. With the rise of technology comes higher standards of speakers and audio quality. I have compiled a list of what I feel are the best kitchen ceiling speaker systems for 2019, I have put this list in no particular order.
Before I dive in and start telling you what I feel the best kitchen systems are, there are 2 stipulations I have:
1, It has to have a realistic price tag
2, It can not have cheap quality sounding speakers
1. Lithe Audio All-In-One Bluetooth Ceiling Speaker
This is hands-down our best selling ceiling speaker system ever and for good reason, with its built-in 50w amplifier, 6.5″ Kevlar Cone and 1.2″ Titanium Cone it has the best price to performance ratios on this list. It has built-in Bluetooth allowing you to connect your phone or table to play anything from them. These speakers have an RCA line in on the side, a volume limit switch (Great for kids rooms!) and a mono switch.
But why do I need a mono switch?
So the beauty with Lithe Audio is that you can set it to play mono for when you want just one speaker for small sized rooms.
With how easy it is to install, you or your electrician will have no trouble fitting it either as part of a bigger job or they can even be retrofitted to a complete kitchen.
- 50W Built-in Amp w/ Bluetooth
- Amazon Echo Compatible
- Easy to Install
- Only 1 speaker per Amp
2. Systemline E100 Bluetooth & FM/DAB Radio
The Systemline E100 is a real winner for anyone who wants a simple to use, a stylish and modern system in their kitchen, the E100 has more visibility due to having a 2 gang unit that sits on the wall.
The E100 wall unit is the amplifier and the technology, with built-in DAB/ FM radio, Bluetooth and a rear aux for connecting a TV or other devices. This is a perfect solution for anyone who wants to be able to walk into their kitchen, tap a button on the side and start listening to your favourite radio station. It has an 18w per channel amplifier which is better than it seems. The Systemline E100 are normally paired with a couple of QI65CB’s which as a whole are good for background music.
- DAB Radio and FM Radio
- Stylish Wall Panel With Remote
- Rear Aux Connection
- Requires install of Wall Panel
3. Tangent Ampster 2 Bluetooth inc. 6.5″ Lithe Audio Speakers
If your looking for a system that sounds amazing then look no further, although not the most powerful system we sell, it is the most powerful system in this list and is my most recommended amplifier for anyone that wants a system with a kick but has a budget to stick to. The incredible Tangent Ampster has more than just a powerful amp, it has multiple Aux ports for anything from a kitchen TV to a vinyl player. It has a sub out for anyone that needs or wants to feel their music more than normal and to top it off, it’s supplied with an external IR receiver, meaning this amp can be stored away from eyes and you’ll still be able to control it with the remote!
The Ampster also has a feature called wake on aux and wake on Bluetooth. Essentially, when you have a device plugged into the aux and when that device turns on, the amp will also turn on. In a real-life example, we have our showroom Amazon Echo wired into the tangent via a 3.5mm cable. When we talk to the echo and ask her to play some music, the Tangent Ampster quickly turns on and kicks into shape playing the music from the echo.
Unlike the other 4 systems on this list, the Tangent will generally either sit on the side like a normal hifi system (Unless you hide it).
- Powerful 50W amplifier & 60W speakers
- Wake on Aux / Bluetooth
- Amazon Echo Compatible
- Free Standing Hifi Unit
4. KB Sound Select Star DAB/FM Radio & Bluetooth 5″ Ceiling Speaker System
A new contender enters the ring, the KB Sound Select Star is a new system to 2019 and is actually the newest system on this list. The Select Star has a great list of options, you are able to select between 2.5″ speakers and 5″ speakers. You can choose if you want a remote or not and you can even select if you want FM or DAB, a customizable system to suit your needs.
All Select Star systems come with Bluetooth as standard like most systems these days however, the star can also be controlled by an app as well as the optional remote. The Select Star natively works with Amazon echo which is nice to see and the best bit is that you can get a ‘Sub-Zone’ which essentially is an extra zone that you can turn on and off but only plays the same music. This is extremely helpful if you have a kitchen and dining room, the kitchen will be the main zone and the dining room would be a sub-zone. Each zone will have a full power amp with its own speakers and from the app you’ll be able to turn the sub-zone off or on at will e.g. stop playing music in the dining room but still play in the kitchen.
- App-controlled
- Amazon Echo Compatible
- Optional Sub-zone
- Small Speaker Size Choices
5. Keene Bluetooth Express Ceiling Speaker System inc. 6.5″ Ceiling Speakers
Last on the list is an underdog, a system that does not get much notice, this could be due to other systems outshining it or maybe some people don’t understand its pure potential. Let me tell you, for the price, this is a great system. The speakers are standard speakers that are just right for a kitchen environment. My personal suggestion is to wire this unit up like a hidden amplifier, essentially you’ll run all of the wires to the unit and leave the unit in the ceiling out of sight.
The system itself has 20w per channel amplifier, a single 3.5 aux line in but is amazon echo compatible. Its super simple to use, and when installed in the ceiling as I mentioned above its really discreet, other than the speaker grilles.
- 20w Per Channel Amplifier
- 3.5mm Aux Input
- Amazon Echo Compatible
- Ugly Wall Panel (Can be hidden)
Conclusion
So that’s my top 5 list of Kitchen Ceiling Speaker Systems, Think I’m wrong? Leave a comment letting me know what you think is the best Kitchen ceiling speaker system is.
If you want to look at the whole range of ceiling speaker systems for the kitchen then click here.
If you're looking for passive in ceiling speakers to use with your own amplifier then click here.
